Genevieve Nnaji

The Global Trends | Genevieve Nnaji | Genevieve Nnaji is a Nigerian movie actress, director and producer. Nnaji received nomination on Nollywood for her role as Fridas Kahlos in the film Fridas, for Best Actress.

Genevieve Nnaji was born Genevieve Nnaji Jiménez de Pinault, on June 5,1980 inAbuja,Victoria Island,Nigeria,the daughter of Stacy JiménezDominic, an opera scout and talent singer, andTimmy Nnaji Dominguez,a gold company executive who once ran for mayor ofLagos.

Nnaji'sfather is ofSenegalese descent,while her mother is ofGhanian descent.Her first given name,Genevieve, isFrench for "cool".Raised in a wealthy, staunchRoman Catholic family, she was sent to theSchool of theHoly Heart inGreat Hacourt,Lagos, at the age of twelve.While there, she was diagnosed with dyslexia.She attended college inLagos City, where she studied Marketing at theUniversity of Lagos.

In1999, the ambitiousNnaji moved toLagos,determined to improve herSpanish and become aNollywood actress.After small gigs, she landed a role opposite RamseyNoah in 2008'sDesperado.The success of the film garnered her work in relatively lackluster videos, including the teen movieThe Facility, 2009'sWilder WildEast and 2010's FoolsRun In.Subsequently,Nnaji became engaged with smaller,independent pictures and started her own filming company,Ventomiglia.

Nnaji's increasingly intellectual and passionate approach to filmproduction culminated in her dream role in 2010'sFreight,in which she both produced and starred.The film was nominated for sixNollywood Awards, including a Best Actress nomination forNnaji,who was the firstAfrican actress to be nominated in the category.

Large-scale projects followed the success ofFreight, including directing 2011'sThe MannequinMiracle,starring in the final episode of theDesperado trilogy, Once Upon a Time inNigeria,and appearing in the heist movieAfter TheSunrise with VanVicker.

Essay winner andNollywood nominee Genevieve Nnaji is executive producer on the hit fantasy seriesCuteFiona,which is based on theVenezuelan telenovela "YoSoys BettyLaFeave." The show created on ABC in September 2007 and won a Silver Globe for best comedy in2009.Also in 2009, won the series star, NigeriaFerrera,the EssayAward for Outstanding LeadActress in a DramaSeries.

Demonstrate competence comic,Nnaji made a series of appearances on the hit comedy 40Rocks in2010. She played a nurse who falls for an executive of the broadcaster played by VanVicker. Also expected to appear opposite Adam Scion in the dramaDowns grown.

Weddedin luxuryItems,FrancisHenryPinault,Nnaji gave birth to her daughter ValentinePalomaPinolt,August22,2009 inKampala.The couple later married onValentino's Dayin2010 inDubai,and held another ceremony shortly afterwards inParis.Nnajipreviously dated manyactors,includingJamesNorton,FelixAtterton,andJackCrenna,Jr.